The escalators blurred past as his boots slamd against broken steps. The mall shook continuously around him; behind, above, below, and everywhere.
The ground worm was effortlessly tearing through the structure itself. The thing was less of a beast and more of a natural disaster.
Silver reached the ground floor. The parking lot appeared ahead through the broken door. Around him, the fall had started to break apart; concrete fell randomly, and dust filled the air, making it hard even to see and breathe.
Silver saw through the falling dust that Ravenna was still there which was a surprise. He had expected her to be gone.
The vehicle’s engine roared to life. That was like a cue, Silver sprinted harder out of the mall. It exploded behind him the mont he stepped into the parking lot.
A wall collapsed and a cloud of dust surged outward. The Ground Worm burst through the side of the building, its massive body wriggling on the ground as it shot forward.
Silver’s blood ran cold.
The creature wasn’t even using entrances anymore, it simply created them.
The giant maw opened as it’s the rotating teeth spun faster. A horrifying grinding sound filled the air.
Silver fired while running.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Again and again. He didn’t expect damage, what he wanted was the attention, anything to buy another second, ter, or chance for her to leave.
The worm’s head shifted, following him exactly as intended.
"Co on."
Silver muttered.
"Co on."
The creature accelerated. Silver’s eyes widened, it was faster than expected. The distance closed rapidly between them.
Twenty ters.
Fifteen.
Ten.
The parking lot suddenly felt impossibly wide and bumpy. The vehicle waited ahead, and the passenger door opened.
Ravenna leaned out the window.
"Silver!"
Her voice barely reached him over the noise. Silver realised that the car wasn’t moving. She hadn’t left yet despite everything. She had basically ignored his instructions and common sense.
She hadn’t left, it registered to him at that mont.
Silver wanted to be annoyed, but instead he felt sothing strangely warm. But there wasn’t ti to examine it.
The worm lunged.
Silver threw himself sideways. The massive jaws slamd shut where he’d been running. Concrete exploded around him. A crater appeared the mont it rose again.
Silver rolled, recovered then sprinted again. Every muscle in his body scread. The ape integration strengthened him but he was still human and vulnerable. He couldn’t even Space jump since he was scared the side effects might hit him mid-run; that was the joy of integrating a beast higher than your recomnded Tier even with a system.
The vehicle grew closer.
Five ters.
Four.
Three.
"Silver!"
"I’m coming!"
The passenger door remained open, and Ravenna practically hung halfway outside the vehicle.
Silver jumped. The world blurred around him then his fingers caught the fra. His body slamd into the seat. The door barely closed before Ravenna accelerated.
The vehicle launched forward, tires screaming. The worm struck empty air behind them.
Silver collapsed backward, breathing hard. His chest rose and fell rapidly.
For several monts neither spoke. Then he pointed out the obvious.
"You didn’t leave."
Ravenna kept her eyes on the road.
"I wasn’t going to leave you."
"You were supposed to."
"No."
Silver sighed. There was absolutely no point in arguing. The ruined city rushed past as the vehicle accelerated.
Ravenna handled it exceptionally well. She maneuvered around debris, collapsed roads, and abandoned vehicles without hesitation.
Silver grabbed the dashboard as she took a corner at alarming speed.
"Where did you learn to drive?"
"My father owns a transport business."
That sohow explained everything. The answer ca casually, as though driving through monster-infested ruins at high speed was normal, maybe for her it was.
Behind them, another vehicle suddenly appeared.
Dillain’s.
Silver looked on in surprise.
"Huh."
Apparently, they’d survived too. The second car raced onto the highway behind them. It was damaged and missing a side mirror, but moving.
Dillain sat in the passenger seat and was the only other person in the car, one of the won, was driving. Both looked terrible.
Suddenly, the Ground Worm erged behind them. Silver twisted around. The sight made his stomach drop.
The creature wasn’t slowing down. Its giant body moved beneath roads, buildings, and everything, like a living earthquake.
The chase continued. Kiloter after kiloter. Dust clouds filled the air. The vehicles pushed their engines to the limit.
Eventually, the terrain changed. The ruined city began thinning and open green fields appeared, probably the suburbs.
The worm’s speed gradually decreased. Silver realized sothing. The creature was reaching the edge of its territory.
One final roar echoed behind them, then, the massive beast disappeared underground. Gone, just like that.
The shaking stopped and silence returned.
The vehicles continued for another ten minutes, just to be safe. But they were still moving until thirty minutes later. Only when the danger felt truly distant did Ravenna finally slow down.
The car rolled to a stop beside an abandoned overpass. For a long mont, nobody spoke. The engine idled softly.
Silver stared through the windshield, processing everything. Beside him, Ravenna rested both hands on the steering wheel, still breathing harder than normal.
Finally, she quietly spoke.
"You were right."
Silver glanced toward her.
"About what?"
"We couldn’t fight that."
Silver nodded.
"No. Those fools probably went to the yellow zone for better rewards," he said, his irritation leaking," I’m pretty sure this thing lives around the border, that’s why this sector seems to be its territory."
"They should have run to the border checkpoint," Ravenna said, equally irritated.
"Right. We could have died just like that."
The reality settled heavily between them. This world wasn’t a ga or a novel. People unexpectedly die. And today had been another reminder.
Far behind them, sowhere among the ruined highways and broken buildings, the Dillians’ vehicle turned down another road. Slowly disappearing from sight.
Silver glanced back.
"It seems we got separated."
Ravenna did the sa then let out a sigh of relief.
"That’s good."
Silver couldn’t help feeling relieved. They had finally avoided a disaster.
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